Wall systems formed from a plurality of interconnected, prefabricated and portable panels are well known. Such systems are being used extensively in office and other commercial buildings for dividing interior spaces into smaller work regions, thereby providing the desired privacy while reducing noise within the building, and at the same time improving the interior appearance. The adjacent panels in the known wall systems are normally connected by a hinge structure to permit the adjacent panels to be angularly positioned in the desired orientation. Some of these known wall systems have also relied upon this hinge structure for fixedly connecting the adjacent panels in the desired vertical relationship. While these hinge structures do provide for the desired vertical alignment, nevertheless these hinge structures are relatively expensive to manufacture and make interconnection of adjacent wall panels a laborous and difficult task.
In an attempt to overcome the above disadvantages, other known wall systems have utilized a simple hinge for connecting the adjacent wall panels to permit relative angular displacement therebetween. However, this simple hinge has not provided any structure for insuring vertical alignment between the adjacent panels, and thus these wall structures have normally relied upon adjustable support legs for leveling the panels and providing vertical alignment therebetween. While this structure is relatively simple and hence inexpensive, nevertheless the installation of the panels is somewhat time consuming since the vertical alignment between adjacent panels necessarily requires manual adjustment of the leveling legs after installation and assembly of the wall system, which adjustment is somewhat of a trial-and-error procedure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wall system which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages. Specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a wall system formed from a plurality of prefabricated panels, which panels have alignment members fixedly mounted thereon adjacent the opposite ends thereof, whereby an alignment member on one panel cooperates with a further alignment member mounted on an adjacent panel to permit an efficient and accurate vertical alignment of adjacent panels during installation and assembly of the wall system.
A further object of this invention is to provide an improved wall system, as aforesaid, wherein an identical alignment member is mounted on each end of each panel, which alignment member has different right and left portions so that two of said alignment members when disposed in opposed relationship, will readily interfit one within the other.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide an improved wall system, as aforesaid, wherein the right and left portions of one alignment member interfit within the left and right portions, respectively, of a further identical alignment member so that a single identical alignment member can be provided on each end of each panel, thereby permitting any two panels to be connected end for end, and also permitting the panels themselves to be interchanged end for end, thereby facilitating the assembly of the wall system while providing the wall system with maximum flexibility and interchangeability.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved wall system, as aforesaid, which incorporates an alignment structure which is simple and economical to manufacture, simple and economical to mount on the wall panels, and which permits simple installation and assembly of the wall system while permitting precise vertical alignment of adjacent panels.